This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (Goodreads, B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Book Review

Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers' Favorite

Tattooed Millionaire (Building the Club Tattoo Empire) by Sean Dowdell is an inspirational autobiography/memoir on the life of Sean Dowdell. This is a book that would appeal most to an audience of adults and young adults who enjoy non-fictional stories about the lives of real people and find tattoos and piercings interesting. Sean Dowdell grew up in the 1970s in a lower middle class family; as a young adult Sean was part of a band called Grey Daze with his friend, Chester Bennington. From music, Sean transitioned to a tattoo and piercings brand. Through hard work and perseverance, Sean became a multi-millionaire dedicated to giving back to his community.

Tattooed Millionaire (Building the Club Tattoo Empire) by Sean Dowdell is a book that I found fascinating, especially because my sister just got her tattoo, which has awakened an interest in tattoos in me. The story of Sean Dowdell was inspirational to me, not because he always succeeded, but in how he handled failure. Sean showed me that it is possible to lose in the short term, but to win in the long term. The stories included in the book were not all just about his life as a tattoo shop owner, but also how he got there and stayed there. There was one story where Sean hired a man for his shop who had stolen equipment from another tattoo shop, and the owner of that shop hired a biker to kill the employee. The biker arrived while Sean was at the counter and Sean, while being scared for his life, handled the situation with an impressive appearance of calmness while getting the biker out of the shop without killing anyone. Overall, I really enjoyed learning about Sean and his Club Tattoo Empire, but even more than that, I loved how inspired I became by Sean’s story.

Rate this book:

Name:

Comment/Review:

Gisela Dixon

Tattooed Millionaire: Building The Club Tattoo Empire by Sean Dowdell is a fascinating and honest autobiography by Sean Dowdell on how to be a successful entrepreneur and his own life journey. Tattooed Millionaire is written more or less in a chronological order and written in the first person. The book starts off with Sean’s own young years, about how he started working even as a teenager, and sustained himself through college years with a full-time job, how he was part of a band, the opening of his first tattoo shop, his meeting and marriage with his wife, Thora, his proficiency and innovations in body piercings, and of course the subsequent expansion of his business into multiple shops in multiple states, including The Club Tattoo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tattooed Millionaire: Building The Club Tattoo Empire by Sean Dowdell is a good and insightful read and I enjoyed reading it. Sean Dowdell is obviously a hard worker with the necessary business skills, but even more than that, I liked that he came across as someone who also genuinely cares about giving back, doing what’s right, and treating people and employees as human beings. Often I read about successful entrepreneurs without a moral compass who have become rich on the backs of others, but this story is refreshingly different that way. I also appreciated his close and strong relationship with his wife and children. The writing is extremely engaging and there are lots of useful tips and lessons for budding entrepreneurs in this book. A great read that I would recommend.

Christian Sia

Tattooed Millionaire: Building the Club Tattoo Empire by Sean Dowdell is a compelling blend of a memoir and an inspirational story that has great potential to motivate readers to pursue their dreams. Sean Dowdell is just twenty when he sets out to make a life for himself, and not being from a well-to-do family, he is determined to succeed. He works in the music industry with Grey Daze and alongside Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, but ends up leaving the band to start his own business. He starts the Club Tattoo and has to work tirelessly to make it into a multi-million dollar business with numerous locations across the country. This story documents the challenges he faces on the way up, the support he receives from his wife, Thora, and his partner, Chester Bennington.

Sean Dowdell’s story is one that stands out with its many lessons on how to create success. It is easy for an ordinary person to look at a successful entrepreneur and think that he had an easy path to follow. No, this book shows that success comes with a deep sense of vision, focus, determination, the courage to take risks, and the ability to work with others. Readers will discover Sean’s heartbreaks as he loses money; they will learn about his sleepless nights and the obstacles he has to overcome to get to where he is now. But as they read on, they understand the portrait of a man with an unshakable faith in himself and the work he does, and an unwavering trust in the people he surrounds himself with. Tattooed Millionaire: Building the Club Tattoo Empire is written in simple prose, very accessible to ordinary readers. It is enjoyable to read. This book will offer wannabe entrepreneurs powerful insights on how to start and expand a business.

Rabia Tanveer

Tattooed Millionaire: Building the Club Tattoo Empire by Sean Dowdell is the story of what a man can achieve if he is determined enough to move forward, even when the whole world is trying to push him back. The story follows Sean Dowdell, a young man with big dreams and a lot of will power. He was born into a middle class family, which basically means he had to work harder and longer than anyone else to achieve something. He started his career when he worked with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park; however, his true calling was something else.

He started his tattoo parlor and piercing club called Club Tattoo with the help of his wife, Thora, and partner, Chester. Not everything was rainbows and sunshine for him, though. He needed to fight, claw, and survive to make his way to the top. From a USA Senator trying to bribe him to some motorcycle gang trying to take over his store location, things were not easy. But Sean was determined and ready to fight for what he believed was right. He was not afraid of hard work and he worked harder than ever to achieve his dreams.

Sean Dowdell did an amazing job of writing his own story without bragging. He wrote his story with passion and that translated into his words and to readers. I’m a fan of Club Tattoo and their work, so reading about the history of the business was very interesting. Sean talks about his struggles, and his need to find his own place in the world, with simple words that speak to the reader. Easy to read and very well-constructed, this is a truly inspirational story that will encourage many people to move forward and make their dreams a reality.

Jack Magnus

Tattooed Millionaire: Building The Club Tattoo Empire is an inspirational autobiographical work written by Sean Dowdell. Dowdell’s family was not poor, but they did have to work hard to provide for their family, and he grew up with those values ingrained in his belief system. He had a gift for learning and was in accelerated classes through his primary education, and continued to keep up with his studies through high school while working full-time jobs and putting together a musical group. A major upheaval in his life occurred when he and his friends were injured in a car accident, for which he would later receive an insurance settlement. While he’d use much of it to finance college, his first thought was to help his parents pay off some consumer debt. After that, he purchased the car of his dreams, a Chevrolet Camaro RS, and indulged in a sudden hankering for a tattoo. It was his first entree into the world of tattooing, and that first tattoo would change his life forever.

Sean Dowdell’s inspirational autobiography, Tattooed Millionaire: Building The Club Tattoo Empire, is not your typical rags-to-riches story, but it does make for some fascinating reading. Dowdell has always been driven and is seemingly gifted with the stamina and endurance to achieve what would be impossible for most others. As someone who grew up attending Open House parties where local bands played, I particularly enjoyed his stories about his band, Grey Daze, the successes they enjoyed, and the inevitable stresses and frustrations that plague so many in that industry. His stories about that first tattoo parlor in Tempe, Arizona are fabulous, filled with anecdotes of the difficulties involved in starting up a new business with little experience and even less cash while still a student and touring with his band. His narrative is refreshingly honest and candid throughout, even if I did wince at some of the critical things he had to say about some interactions with people from his past. Can you make a million-dollar-business out of a tattoo parlor? If you’re Sean Dowdell, the proof is in his branded chain of Club Tattoo shops. Tattooed Millionaire: Building The Club Tattoo Empire is highly recommended.

John Stelmach

Great book and very inspirational. Love the fact that he talks about not only the things he did right in his business and life but how he learned from his failures. Loved it and hope he writes another one.